Door-knob attachment.



No. 798,303. PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905. A. F. A. KING.

DOOR KNOB ATTACHMENT.

APPLIOATIORI'ILED FBB.10. 1905.

UNITED STATES Patented June 27, 1905.

ALBERT F. A. KING, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF (IOLUINIBIA.

DOOR-KNOB ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,303, dated June 27, 1905.

Application filed February 10,1905. Serial No. 245,090.

To (LU 111714)), it many concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. A. Kine, a citizen of the United States, residing in ashington,District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Knob Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

Ordinarily door-knobs are attached to their spindles by screws which extend transversely through the spindle-sockets of the knobs and through the spindles. The screws often work loose and drop out, and thus the knobs are detached and separated from the spindles and the screws are often lost.

The object of my invention is to produce simple, inexpensive, and ellicient devices which may be readily applied to door-knobs of usual construction already in use or to new knobs and which will prevent the attachingscrews from working loose or from separating from the knobs.

While my improvements are especially designed for door-knobs of the usual type, they are a plicable to various kinds of knobs and hand es for doors, drawers, and other articles having handles.

In carrying out my invention I provide a shield or cover for the head of the attachingscrew which is in the form of a split ring that is adapted to be slipped endwise onto the spindle-socket boss of the knob with the slot or space between its ends over the screw-hole in the boss, so that the screw may be readily inserted to attach the knob to the spindle. The ring is so constructed that it maybe then turned on the boss, so as to cover the screwhead and bring the slot beneath the boss. The ring has some resiliency and may be made to grasp the boss tightly, so as to remain in the position to which it is set; but preferably it is weighted at its ends on opposite sides of the slot, so that when it fits the boss loosely the weights will hold the slot below the boss by gravity, and thus always keep the screw-head covered. The weights are so formed as to provide handles by which the .ring may be conveniently manipulated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating portions of a door-latch and door-knob and showing how my improvements are applied thereto, the parts being separated in order to better illustrate the manner of assembling them. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the parts assembled.

The knob or handle A, its socket-boss B, and the spindle C are of usual construction. The shield D is made of metal, preferably brass, of a length substantially the same as that of the boss B or of such length that it has but little endwise movement on the boss. The shield is in the form of a split ring, the slot (Z extending from end to end of the ring and being of greater width than the head of the attaching-screw E. The ring has some elasticity, so that it may be sprung open slightly to enable it to be slipped endwise on the boss in case the boss is slightly greater in diameter than the ring; but preferably the interior diameter of the ring is somewhat greater than that of the boss, so that the ring may slip easily onto the boss. The opposite ends of the split ring on opposite sides of the slot are weighted at (Z in any suitable way. These weights provide handles by which the device may be conveniently manipulated; but their primary purpose is to hold the slot below the boss and cause the solid portion of the shield to cover the screw-head.

In applying the device the knob is first removed from the spindle in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Then the shield is slipped endwise into the boss with the slot uppermost, as shown at the right-hand side of Fig. 1, so as to expose the screw-hole. Then the knob is slipped onto the spindle and the screw is in serted tln'ough the slot and through the screw-hole. When this is done, the parts will appear as indicated at the right-hand side of Fig. 1. \Vhen the parts are thus connected, the shield is turned until the weights hang down and the slot is below the boss, as indicated in Fig. 2. At this time the screw is covered by the solid part of the shield. If the screw tends to work loose, it will press against the shield, and as the shield has very slight movement laterally on the boss a tension will soon be obtained which will prevent the screw from further movement. The weights act efficiently to prevent the slotted portion of the shield from uncovering the screw, and if the ring grips the boss this gripping action also aids in preventing the shield from moving.

, The knob may be removed from the spindle, if desired, by first turning the shield until the slot uncovers the screw. Then the screw maybe withdrawn and the knot slipped off in the usual Way.

The device is very simple in construction, may be made at small cost, and may be applied to various kinds of knobs. It operates efficiently and enables the user not only to readily withdraw or insert the attachingscrew Whenever desired, but it efiectively prevents the accidental separation of the screw and the loosening of the knob.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with a knob or handle, its spindle and its attaching-screw, of a shield adapted to slip endwise onto the boss of the knob and which consists of a split ring weighted at its slotted portion.

2. The combination of a knob or handle, its spindle, and its attaching-screw, of a shield adapted to slip endwise onto the boss of the ALBERT F. A. KING.

Witnesses:

DAVID RITTENHOUSE, D. M. KINDLEBERGER. 

